Jenny and Owen reached out to me to talk about planning a cake smash photoshoot for their son Noahs first birthday. I’m so glad they did because we had a blast especially Noah with his very….unique approach to cake smashing..read on to find out more!
Walking into their home I was very pleased to see a perfectly fitting cake smash photoshoot backdrop all ready to go! Jenny had created a stunning blue balloon arch ready for Noahs birthday party that weekend, I knew it would be the perfect spot for our photos!
I offer a couple of options when it comes to booking a cake smash photoshoot, the first is the mini for half an hour which is perfect for families who only want the cake smash and images of a cake covered child! I also offer sessions of an hour or two hours long, these are great for families who would love family portraits too, usually before everyone gets covered in buttercream!
Jenny told me that Noah was a little nervous of strangers which is very common for kids of his age of course, ESPECIALLY after lockdown! I doubt he’s had much interaction with people beyond his bubble! Jenny and Owen chose to have a full session with me which worked perfectly, as it meant I could see Noah playing. I could chat with him and let him settle with a stranger around before we brought out the cake and started the sugar madness!
It was also a lovely opportunity for me to catch loads of lovely natural family portraits, the three of them sat cuddled up in the conservatory, playing with Noah. I particularly love the images we got of Noah playing football with Dad Owen, the kids got skills, more on that in a minute!
Once Noah seemed happy to have me around we got to setting up our cake smash photoshoot! Jenny had bought a colourful sprinkle covered cake and I brought a simple white cake stand. We set up the cake on the (easy to clean down) dining table and placed Noah right next to it. Should point out Mum and Dad were stood at both ends of the table ready to catch Noah should he suddenly decide to test gravity by crawling off the table!
We waited excitedly for Noah to dig in….he looked at us, he looked at the cake, he looked back at us with an expression that said, “well what do you want me to do with this?” After lots of encouragement and some demonstration from Mum, Noah finally got stuck in. And as I mentioned earlier we had a little footballer on our hands. Noah used a technique I have never seen before, he lifted his leg and in one quick movement smashed his foot directly into the top of the cake! Brilliant my first foot cake smash photoshoot!
This was Noahs first taste of cake and we were all eager to see what he thought of it. If I was to sum up his reaction I would say, “unimpressed” I don’t think Noah has much of a sweet tooth! But he did enjoy the feeling of it squishing between his fingers and of course TOES. Dad then had the great idea to give Noah some tools to help his squishing, the look of delight of Noahs face as he went to town on the cake with a wooden hammer. The feelings, the noise, sensory heaven!
Once Noah was fully coated in cake Jenny and Owen popped him in the kitchen sink for a well deserved bath. Some of the images we captured during his bath were my favourites, he loved the water and chewing on his nice soft bath toys must have been bliss for his sore teething gums! Noah did a thorough job of covering the kitchen with his impressive splashing and Mum and Dad were such good sports, ignoring the mess and just embracing the fun their son was having!
A few shots of some snuggly post bath cuddles, Noah wrapped tightly in a fluffy towel and I left this lovely family in peace. Off to go and edit these images of pure toddler joy!
A note from Jenny, "I couldn’t recommend Sarah enough. We booked her to do a cake smash photoshoot for our sons 1st birthday. As he is generally quite wary of strangers I was a little bit nervous at how difficult it might be to capture his cheeky personality. However, he took to Sarah as soon as she walked through our front door. Sarah made us all feel relaxed and managed to capture some really beautiful photos that we will cherish. Thank you Sarah!”
If you liked this blog then you should absolutely go check out Joeys cake smash photoshoot too!
Then head on over to my Instagram, come say hi and join in on my journey to helping other Mothers celebrate the chapters of their lives! And if you would love to chat about your own cake smash photoshoot then just drop me a message and let’s have a chat!